Johnie Lee Qualls, left, comforts and talks with Terry Johnson, Friday, Nov. 16, 2012, in Midland, Texas, before a community prayer service to pray for all those involved in an incident Thursday, where four veterans were killed and 16 other people were injured when a train slammed into a parade float carrying the returning heroes to a banquet. (AP Photo/Reporter-Telegram, Tim Fischer)

Parade participants react after a trailer carrying wounded veterans in a parade was struck by a train in Midland, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012. "Show of Support" president and founder Terry Johnson says there are "multiple injuries" after a Union Pacific train slammed into the trailer, killing at least four people and injuring 17 others. (AP Photo/Reporter-Telegram, James Durbin)

Patriot Guard riders gather Friday in Midland to pray for the victims and their families of an accident Thursday that killed four veterans when a train slammed into a parade float carrying the returning heroes to a banquet.

He was driving just behind a parade float Thursday when a train rammed into it, killing two veterans on the scene, wounding many others and their spouses and leaving two more veterans dead at the hospital.

“I saw bodies literally cut in half,” Cobarobio said.

He saw the 18-wheeler pull the flatbed truck loaded with the group on their way to a banquet to honor them. The arm at the tracks came down as the float crossed, Cobarobio said.

“It didn’t appear the float was stuck,” he said.

He heard the horn from the diesel engine on the train, Cobarobio said, about five seconds before the impact.

“I saw a lady get to the top step of the trailer,” he said. “As she leaped, the truck went out from under her.”

Many are expected to gather at 6 p.m. today at Centennial Plaza to join in prayer for those killed and injured Thursday.

Also on Friday, Mark Rosekind, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said investigators continue to probe the accident. That process could take up to a year.

Midland Chief of Police Price Robinson wouldn’t say much other than the investigation is ongoing.

City officials met behind closed doors Friday afternoon to discuss the incident and how to help the victims and their families.

Cobarobio stood out on the street with friends, talking about what they had seen.

“It’s something I’ve never seen,” he said. “It’s something I never want to see again. I don’t want to sleep. I’m afraid of nightmares.”

People dining Friday at Lori’s Café picked at their food and talked about the tragedy that has enveloped this town in shock and sadness.

“It’s very sad,” said Debra Costilla. “I was downtown and saw police getting ready for the parade.”

First, she heard two people on the float had died on the scene. Then, reports later revealed two more died at the hospital.

Costilla’s son, Chris, sat in the booth with his mother.

“All I could think was, ‘why were they sitting on that float?’ ” he said.

The young man couldn’t figure out what kind of twist of fate would allow these men to survive a war and return to a parade and banquet in their honor only to see four killed and others injured, he said.

Karen Barham is an emergency services dispatcher for the city. She wasn’t on duty at the time of the accident and said she was glad for that.

An accident like the one Thursday is hectic. She expressed concern for those who worked the scene and those who had to relate the calls, calling the event, “several unfortunate coincidences.”

What exactly happened is unclear.

Members of the investigative team from the National Transportation Safety Board were meeting Friday morning near noon with local authorities, trying to hammer out the events to make sense of the accident.

Just across the street from the closed-door meeting, the 18-wheeler with its trailer rested near the tracks, cordoned off from the public.

The crossing has been the site of 10 previous collisions since 1979, according to The Associated Press. Five cars and five trucks have been involved. Six drivers were injured in those accidents, but no deaths were reported from any of the collisions.

And 15 blocks away in the café, Andrea Mitchell spoke of her 16-year-old daughter’s desire to give blood to help out those injured, remaining in a hospital in Midland.

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for
following agreed-upon rules of civility. Posts and
comments do not reflect the views of this site. Posts and comments are
automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some
comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules,
click the "Flag as offensive" link below the comment.

I read somewhere that Cobarobio's camera was confiscated by the MPD and he was threatened with arrest if he did not hand it over. Since when do police substantiate such heavy handed treatment of eyewitnesses and their property? Could it be that the MPD and the MSO will be shamed when the video shows blatant incompetence/negligence in handling an event as simple as a parade? Something went horribly wrong and as usual the 'good ole boys' try to cover it up by jailing Cobarobio when he refused to hand over his own property. Lawlessness has taken over Midland and you can't blame it all on the oil boom!